Study Guide Notes for Unit One Geography of the Middle East

Unit 1 Geography of the Middle East (Oil/Water) A major environmental issue facing the countries of the Middle East is the pollution of the Persian Gulf due to oil spills Wars over water and oil are a problem for many Middle Eastern countries Iraq invaded Kuwait primarily to gain control over oil resource Oil, a non-renewable natural resource has help the growth of the Middle East Saudi Arabia has the world’s largest oil deposit in the Middle East

Unit 1 Geography of the Middle East (Oil/Water) The Majority of Saudi Arabia is covered mostly by deserts Desalination is the process of removing salt from salt water in order to make it suitable farming Farmers use a system of irrigation, in order to water crops Although Iran has oil and natural gas resources, they had made an attempt to develop nuclear power

Proposed Solutions 1. Desalination-Build facilities to process seawater to remove the salt 2. Treated Wastewater-Recycle and treat sewage for reuse 3. Imports- Build pipelines so water-rich nations can share those in need 4. Conservation- Educate people about ways to use less water and use it more carefully

Unit 1 Geography of the Middle East (Physical Features) Iran lies between Iraq and Afghanistan The Suez Canal connects the Mediterranean Sea and Red Sea The Tigris begins in the mountains of Turkey and flows south through Iraq, it joins Euphrates in southern Iraq.

Unit 1 Geography of the Middle East (Physical Features) Cont. 4. The rivers of Southwest Asia (Middle East) are important because much of this region of the world is dry and desert or semi-desert 5. At the northern end of the Red Sea ships can enter the man-made Suez Canal, which allow them to get to the Mediterranean Sea without having to sail all around the continent of Africa 6. Israel was created by the United Nations in 1948 as a homeland for the Jewish people of the world